Keshorn's Golden League: a launching pad for track and field athletes

Trinidad and Tobago’s two-time Olympic medallist Keshorn Walcott plans to use the inaugural hosting of his seven-stage Golden League Athletics series as a launching pad for the nation’s rising junior and elite track and field athletes.

The anticipation is building within the local athletics community as the first leg sets to sprint off on December 7 at Eddie Harts Grounds in Tacarigua.

The second leg will be held on December 28 and the remaining five will be held across the first three months of 2025, with the final set for March 8.

Athletes will compete in their respective disciplines on the grass, across the seven stages, gaining points towards the grand final.

With next year’s April Carifta Games confirmed to be hosted in Trinidad, Walcott believes the Golden League series serves as a progressive measuring stick for local athletes who intend on competing at the top-flight regional meet.

“The main objective is to not only providing a chance and an avenue for athletes to start, or to say this is where your success story started, it’s trying to develop the sport in TT. We’re trying to have some sort of development so we can monitor their performances and keep some structure,” Walcott said.

“That’s why the initial goal is to have more than one competition because I would like to see the athletes perform over a span of time, for myself and them to see how they have/can improved from December to March.”

Walcott said he wants to provide locally-based athletes with more avenues to evaluate and assess their performances and progress over time.

And with several of the nation’s main stadia closed for refurbishment, especially the running tracks, Walcott is hoping athletes use this opportunity to put in some additional work in anticipation of next year’s competition, including the Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships.

“The structure in other countries is they have consistent competition where, as an athlete, you can look forward to some sort of plan. Training is one thing but having a plan for competition is another.

“There’s hasn’t been much new competitions the country for a very long time so it’s ideal. Knowing the stadiums are closed now, I don’t think much athletes have a choice but to venture on to the grass,” Walcott added.

He chose a similar concept to the Wanda Diamond League, which features the globe’s athletes competing across different legs, tallying points and working towards the grand final event.

“We’re trying to help with the development of the sport. Hopefully I can take it a bit further with other things but for now we need to work within our range. We can build as we go along.”

Walcott is a four-time TT Olympian earning men’s javelin gold at the 2012 edition in England and then bronze in 2016, in Brazil.